Illuminated signaling mailbox



April 29, 1941- L. A. ROICVHELEAU 2,240,462

ILLUMINATED SIGNALING MAILBOX Filed Dec. 23, 1939 .IAIIV/ENTORI 4 LeoA.Rocheec(u 30.3%

ATTORNEY Patented Apr..29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUMINATEDSIGNALING MAILBOX Leo A. Rocheleau, Detroit, Mich, assignor of onehalfto Leah M. Johnston, Detroit, Mich.

Application December 23, 1939, Serial No. 310,733

2 Claims.

My invention pertains to an improved (illuminated and signaling mailboxand more particularly to an illuminating unit with cooperative light andsignal operating switch means adapted to be conveniently installed inmailboxes.

. It is an object of my invention to provide a compact electricilluminating unit adapted to be installed in mailboxes for convenientlyilluminating the interior thereof.

It is also an object of my invention to provide such an electricalilluminating unit also having signal switch means compactly associatedwith the conductive members for manually or automatically controllingthe operation of 'any remotely disposed signal with which the switchmeans may be connected.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an improvedilluminated mail box comprising electric lamp supporting means disposedin a position for effectively illuminating the interior Fig. 6 is aschematic wiring diagram.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, I have illustratively disclosed amailbox I, such as commonly provided on private residence houses or inapartments, having a front door 3 pivotally connected thereto as byahinge 5 extending along one side in a usual manner. Such a mailbox isusually providedtwith a letter receiving slot 1 through which mail maybe deposited in the box by the postman. Also the doors of such mailboxesare usually provided with a suitable look (not shown) controlled byinserting a suitable key in a key hole Sin thegdoor, in awell knownmanner. For convenience in'ascertaining it mail is presentin the'boxwithout first un- "locking and opening the door, a window II is usuallyprovided. But at night or when installed in dark locations such a windowdoes not serve its useful purpose and the owner of the of the mailboxand having conductive energizing means associated with circuit makingand breaking means disposed for convenient external control.

Another object of my invention is to provide a swinging pendulum switchactuator disposed in i the upper portion of a mailbox to beautomatically actuated by the insertion of mail through the slot of themailbox for intermittently actuating any remotely located signal whichmay be operatively connected therewith.

Further objects and advantages are within the scope of my invention,such as relate to the arrangement, operation and function of the relatedelements of the structure, to various details ofconstruction and toeconomics of manufacture and numerous other features as will be apparentfrom a consideration of the specification in conjunction with thedrawing disclosing an embodiment of my invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a mailbox provided with anelectric lamp and with lamp andusignal control switches in accordancewith my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the front door of the mailbox opened;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional viewon line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line showing.

through the mailbox the rear of the insulating panel supporting the lampsocket, the contacts, and the wire connectors thereon;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

and

4-4 of Fig. 3 and on a smaller scale gize a small electric ton I3 isprovided which mailbox is subjected to the inconvenience 'of opening thedoor and feeling in the box to determine if mail has been depositedtherein.

In accordance with myinvention a push butslides through a bushing Mprovided in the front door of the mailbox and which may be convenientlydepressed to enerllght bulb l5 which is mounted in a socket I! ineffective position in the upper portion of the box for illuminating theinterior thereof. Also a push button I9 is provided in the door wherebythe postman may conveniently operate a remote signal to call the ownerof the box as when he has a registered letter,

.or at anytime when mail is'deposited. Also intermittently for severaldoor of the mailbox, a

the walls of the box as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,

engages a swinging pendulum 25 which is set in motion oscillating tooperate a remote signal 27 operations, in a manner to be subsequentlydescribed.

In order to mount the incandescent electric light bulb 15 and the lightand the signal control means in a compact unit in the upper portion of amailbox suitably disposed for convenient manual or automatic control,the cooperating 'electric elements to be installed in the mailbox areall secured to and mounted upon an insulating front panel 29 ofBakelite, or any other suitable insulation material. This insulatingfront panel 29 depends from the front edge of the upper wall of the boxand extends across the upper portion ofthe doorway of the mailbox whereit is conveniently'mounted by a bracket' flange 31 which .Fig. 3, thefront 1 ends of the contact sheet, as

extends horizontally and rearwardly from the upper edge of the frontpanel to be clamped firmly to the upper wall of the mailbox, as byscrews 33 passing therethrough. As shown in panel 29 and the horizontalfastening flange 3| together form an insulating structure of L-shapedcross-section.

The front side of' the insulating panel 29 carries a pair of resilientcontact members 35 and 31 which are adapted to be depressed by. the pushbuttons l3 and 19 respectively for engaging stationary contacts forilluminating the lamp or actuating a remote signal, in a manner to besubsequently described. The resilient contact members 35 and 31 maycomprise tongues pressed forwardly out of an integral sheet 39 slot. Thefront door of the vided with the bushings H in suitable positions of asuitably resilient metal mounted on, and

substantially coextensive with, the front side of the insulating frontpanel 29, in order to provide for a permanent integral conductiverelation. Another contact tongue 4| is pressed rearwardly from thecontact sheet 39 to extend through an aperture 43 in the front panel 29extending to the rear thereof for engagement by the conductive rod 45 ofthe pendulum 25. For attaching the contact sheet 29 on the front side ofthe panel, tongues 41 and shown in Fig. 2, and these are deformedrearwardly through notches 5| provided in the ends of the panel wherethey are turned in against the rear side of the panel, as may be seen inFig. 4. One of the attaching tongues 41, of the contact sheet, has asmall wire clip 53 pressed therefrom forming a clip forresilientlygripping a wire 55 in a wellknown manner for convenience ininstalling and connecting the apparatus.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the miniature low voltage incandescentelectric light bulb I5 is supported in a suitable socket l1. which ismounted on a base plate 51 attached to the rear side of the insulatingpanel 29. As shown in Fig. 5, the metal 39 and the insulating panel 29have apertures 59 aligned and opening therethrough in alignment with thecircular terminus of the resilient tongue 35 so that the centralterminal 60 of the light bulb |5 when inserted in the socket will bedisposed for direct engagement by the resilient tongue 35 each time itis depressed by the push button I3. A narrow tongue BI is pressed fromthe base plate 51 to form a resilient wire grip for resilientlyreceiving and clamping the end of an electrical conductor 63 in a wellknown manner.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a contact plate 65 is mounted on the rearside of the insulating panel 29 having a contact tongue 61 pressedtherefrom and bent forward to extend through the panel in alignmentunder the resilient contactor 31 so that a direct electrical contactbetween these members will be created when the push button 31. A wirereceiving clip 69 is deformed from the contact plate 65 for firmlygripping the end of a wire 1| therein. When button I9 is manuallydepressed the fiexible'contactor 31 engages the stationary contact 61extending through the panel 29 and completes a circuit for sounding aremotely positioned signal 21. For also actuating the remote signalautomatically when mail is inserted in the slot the contact plate 65 hasa rearwardly turned edge 13 suitably apertured for receiving the upperend of the conductive rod 45 of the pendulum which'ls bent to form ahook at the upper end. The rod 45 of the pendulum 49 are pressed fromthe- IQ depresses the contactor tongue ing compactly mounted on thefront panel 29 are all cdnveniently installable by providing the screws33 through the upper wall of the mailbox and the pendulum is mounted ina suitable cooperative position adjacent the letter receiving mailbox isthen profor depressing the resilient contactor tongues 35 and 31. Thebushings |4 may be secured in suitable apertures in the door in anysuitable manner, as by soldering. The push buttons l3 and I9 are of anysuitable electrical insulation material such as rubber, fiber orBakelite for example. Base plate 51 and contact plate 55 may besecured-to the insulating panel 23 by screws 10 counter-sunk therein.

For energizing the low voltage electric lamp |5 the conductor 63connecting from one side of the lamp may be extended for connection witha low voltage secondary terminal of a suitable transformer T, such asthe usual bell ringing transformer, as diagrammatically represented inFig. 6. The wire 55 connecting from contactor means 35, 31 and 39 isextended to the other low voltage terminal of the ,transformerT. Fromthe conducto'r 63 a conductor 11 may be connected with one terminal of abell or buzzer 19 the other terminal of which may connect with the wire1| which extends from the contact plate 65, as previously described. Thebell 21 and the bell ringing transformer T may be the bell and bellringing transformer T usually available in every apartment or residencehouse.

It will be apparent that the signal circuit will be completed when wire55 is connected to wire 1| either by manually depressing flexiblecontactor 31 against stationary contact 61 or by the pendulum contact4|.

I 45 may complete the circuit from stationary contact 4| to contactplate 65. In boxes which have been previously wired, the unit may beconveniently connected with the old wiring for operation of the signal,as will be understood.

The bulb |5, is energized by depressing push button l3 through a circuitextending from secondary winding S by way of conductor 55, wire clip 53,conductor plate 39, flexible contactor 35, bulb terminal contact 30,socket l1, contact plate 51'and returning to the other terminal of thetransformer secondary winding by way of the .conductor 63.

It is apparent that within the scope of this invention, modificationsand different arrangements may be made other than herein disclosed, andthe present disclosure is illustrative merely, the inventioncomprehending variations thereof.

I claim:

'1. In a mailbox illuminating unit the combination of, an insulatingpanel of a suitable length from the diagram Fig. 6'

for extending across the upper portion of the doorway of a mailbox, asupporting flange extending perpendicularly from one edge of said panelfor attachment to the upper wall of a mailbox to support the panelacross the doorway of a mailbox, a socket on the inside of said panelfor supporting a miniature incandescent electric light bulb in the upperportion-:91 a mailbox for illuminating the interior thereof, an aperturein said panel substantially in alignment with said socket for passingthe central terminal of an incandescent electric bulb extending throughthe aperture in said panel toward the front side thereof, and aresilient contactor on the front side of said panel adapted tobe-manually depressed to contact the central terminal of a light bulb insaid socket for completing an energizing circuit for the bulb toilluminate a mailbox in which the unit maybe installed. i

2. In a mailbox illuminating unit thecombination of, an insulatingmember of a suitable length for extending across the upper portion 01'the doorway of a mailbox. said insulating member being 01' substantiallyL shape in cross-section providing a vertically disposable panel and ahorizontally disposable flange extending from one edge of the panel forattachment on the inside surface of the upper wall of a mailbox, aminiature lamp socket, means mounting said lamp socket on the inside ofsaid panel for supporting a miniature incandescent electric lamp bulbhorizontally and rearwardly therein with the central terminal of thebulb projecting through the socket toward the front side of the mailboxin which the unit may be-installed, a contactor member mounted on saidpanel and said contactor member having a resilient portion projecting infront of said socket to be manually distorted into engagement with thecentral. terminal or a light bulb by depressible push button meansactuable from the unit is installed.

LEO A. ROCHELEAU.

front of a mailbox in which the

